Breakthrough Medication Could Mean the Future for Alzheimer’s Treatment

By Rick Cohen, 9:00 am on November 18, 2016

Specializing in biotechnology, Biogen is an American corporation that has recently made some breakthroughs in the treatment of dementia. This company has developed a new type of drug that is called aducanumab. This medication is supposed to minimize the level of amyloid-beta proteins in the brains of people with Alzheimer’s disease. Scientists believe that there is a strong link between the presence of amyloid beta and the severity of dementia. Thanks to Biogen, there is now some preliminary evidence that aducanumab can directly impact the level of such a toxic protein in people with an early stage of Alzheimer’s disease, thereby giving hope to Milwaukee, WI, Alzheimer’s home caregivers.

Biogen sponsored a clinical experiment that involved just over 160 participants who were recently diagnosed with dementia or required Milwaukee, WI, dementia at-home care. Some of the individuals were given incremental doses of aducanumab throughout the experiments. Other participants simply received a placebo that wasn’t supposed to actually produce any benefits. At the conclusion of the study, Biogen firmly said that aducanumab is capable of reducing amyloid beta proteins in the brain.

During the study, PET scans were used to thoroughly analyze the brains of the participants. Such advanced imaging revealed that aducanumab significantly affected the brain chemistry of many patients. Additionally, several other types of tests were conducted to find out if the participants showed any signs of cognitive improvement. For example, the Mini Mental State Examination (MMSE) was given to some subjects who already had poor cognitive abilities before entering the experiment. The Clinical Dementia Rating scale Sum of Boxes (CDR-SB) also provided the researchers with some effective ways to measure cognitive improvement in the patients who took aducanumab.

Biogen’s latest drug was featured in a presentation at the 12th International Conference on Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s Diseases and Related Neurological Disorders. Nevertheless, it might take a while before this drug makes a strong impact on dementia treatment worldwide.

In the meantime, families in Milwaukee can turn to Home Care Assistance for help managing their loved one’s illness. We provide premier Alzheimer’s at-home care Milwaukee, WI, families can trust to help seniors delay the onset of dementia and boost overall wellbeing. Contact an experienced Care Manager at (262) 782-3383 today when you call to schedule a complimentary consultation.